3 plead, 1 sentenced in Van Wert court

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Three people entered plea changes and another was sentenced during hearings held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Among those entering a change of plea was Eric Hernandez, 31, of Van Wert, who pleaded guilty to an amended charge of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Hernandez was originally charged with felony domestic violence because of a prior conviction for the same offense. That charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor as part of a plea negotiation.

Judge Charles D. Steele ordered a presentence investigation and also scheduled sentencing for 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 16.

Antrae Pinn, 27, of Lima, also pleaded to a lesser charge as a result of a plea negotiation. Pinn, who was originally charged with two counts of having a weapon while under disability, both felonies of the third degree, entered a guilty plea to one count of attempted possession of a weapon under disability, a fourth-degree felony offense, after the prosecutor’s office lowered the severity of the charge and dismissed the second count as part of a plea negotiation.

Judge Steele scheduled sentencing for 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 13, and ordered Pinn released on a personal surety bond. However, the defendant has charges pending in Allen County and was ordered held on a warrant issued in that county.

Justine Jerome, 26, of Van Wert, pleaded guilty to a charge of domestic violence, a fourth-degree felony. Her case was continued for sentencing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 23, and she was ordered released on a personal surety bond, but will be on electronically monitored house arrest until that time.

Jennifer Burk, 21, of Van Wert, was sentenced to three years of community control on a charge of trespassing in a habitation, a fourth-degree felony offense.

Burk must also spend up to six months in the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima, a substance abuse treatment program conducted by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

A 9-month prison term was deferred pending successful completion of her community control sentence.